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1.2.10-Sarah1281
Brick!Club 1.2.10 The Man aroused Okay, that title…And Javert’s not even in this chapter so I’m not sure how accurate it is. Since Valjean was apparently not allowed to sleep very much in prison (was this not being allowed or it just being difficult to sleep under those conditions? I know that the prisoners were treated like crap but it seems rather foolish to not allow people expected to do a lot of hard labor to get proper rest so that they might continue to be able to do their jobs and for most of his time in prison convict labor was desperately needed for Napoleon purposes), I wonder how much of his waking up was just his no longer being able to sleep and how much was the overwhelming comfort. The comfort was not a problem getting to sleep in the first place but he was probably tired enough that if he hadn’t been led to bed he’d have dropped off at the table (and been more comfortable with the level of comfort, too). This term I have to get up at 7:30 every weekday and have been waking up even on the weekends then and don’t always manage to get back to sleep and I’m perfectly content with my level of comfortableness. I do disagree with the idea that when you’ve got a lot on your mind you can fall asleep once but not a second time. When I worry a lot I have problems getting to sleep in the first place but I’m barely conscious after waking up and so slipping back into sleep in the middle of the night isn’t a problem. Unless, I suppose, he’s talking about specifically cases like this where you only manage sleep in the first place because you literally can stay awake no longer. Only four hours of sleep makes me incredibly groggy and I never even do anything all that taxing. I agree with the idea that the bishop’s bed is probably far from comfortable (though it would not surprise me if the guest bed was the nicest in the house). When it said he had taken careful note of where the silver was the night before, I wonder what that means exactly. Did he plan, even vaguely, on taking them then? Was he just automatically checking on the valuables and might very well have done nothing? It seems like he’s not consciously trying to focus on these but he just can’t help it. I also do not know when he became an expert on silver prices. The musical says that ‘the silver in my hand cost twice what I had earned’ yet here the silver is of better quality (or Valjean has a higher estimation of their worth or maybe the fork/knife/spoon was about worth one ladle) because it’s just the ladle that would be worth that. “The administration had not robbed him” is in quotes in my translation but I rather think it’s because it’s quoting his own feelings on the matter rather than passing judgment on the validity of these beliefs. I can’t imagine Hugo would have mentioned that nearly half of his very meager wages would be taken from taxes and forced rests and how upset he is by this if he didn’t agree it was ridiculous. “His mind wavered for a whole hour in fluctuations with which there was certainly mingled some struggle.” It sounds like he’s actively resisting for an entire hour the urge he has to go steal the silver but it’s been nineteen years and everyone has always been horrible to him except for the Bishop and he just can’t get it out of his head. And though I don’t really like the line of justification about it being okay to take things from people if you need it more than them, it’s pretty clear Valjean does need it more than the bishop. He might spend a great deal of money getting new silver (Valjean doesn’t know him that well though he also doesn’t know he has a bishop’s salary) but all he really *needs* to do is buy some cheap wooden replacements. I’m sure that occurred to him, too. I feel like he spent that hour telling himself all the reasons not to but he just couldn’t convince himself properly and so he loses the struggle. He seems to always lose struggles with himself. Valjean seems to find himself doing things (in this case sitting on the bed) without realizing it a lot. I wonder if he finds that disconcerting or if he’s used to it by now. He didn’t even take his shoes off before going to bed? And he had a problem with being TOO comfortable? I can’t even imagine. Interesting how his thoughts about the silver “in a manner oppressed him.” It really seems like this isn’t something he wants to do all that much. And I wonder why Brevet and his suspenders. Was he close to Brevet? Were the suspenders just that odd? If he was in a better place he’d be asking himself why in the world he’s thinking about Brevet and his suspenders instead of anything else about Toulon. Though thinking about him is probably safer than recalling anything else about that place. And he wouldn’t have even done anything but think about stealing the silver if the clock hadn’t distracted him! He really is used to doing nothing but get lose in his thoughts when he’s not being forced to work, isn’t he? There’s more inexplicable number translational problems with Valjean being woken up by the cathedral clock striking one and then feeling egged on by the another clock (or maybe it’s the same one? It doesn’t specify) striking 1:15 or 1:30. Does the bishop just have clocks an hour behind or something? Translating numbers should not be hard. When Valjean’s looking for an escape route before even leaving his room, I kind of love how he decides that the garden wall at the back of the house will be easy to climb. Frankly, I’m not sure what he would call difficult after all those times he scaled the walls of the prison with apparent ease. Even though he’s sort of battered into the crime by his own reoccurring thoughts, he is conscious enough for once to plan out his escape route first. I’m surprised if the most dangerous convicts around all had dangerous tools with them all the time that are perfect for killing people with we didn’t hear more about them killing people with them. I wonder why Valjean was given that. Actually, given how terrible the system is I’m surprised he was given a bulging knapsack in the first place. Why are miner’s candlesticks so different from regular candlesticks anyway? I wonder if the bishop just never bothers closing his door (it can’t be out of trust because he doesn’t bother locking it so closing it doesn’t make him any more safe but I can see the perception of trust) all the time or if he just did it for Valjean’s benefit. This is the part where someone really needs to save Valjean from himself. Bishop, I appoint you for the job.